


Until We Feel Alright

by vnikiforov



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Good versus Evil, M/M, hero and villains, some sort of dystopia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2018-01-16
Packaged: 2019-03-05 07:41:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13383252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vnikiforov/pseuds/vnikiforov
Summary: A decision was made for Yuuri Katsuki the night he was born. When he is sent to live with people just like him, he is given the opportunity to fulfill his destiny.If one could call it an opportunity.





	Until We Feel Alright

A cry broke through the silence and the Katsukis breathed a sigh of relief. Their son, recently named Yuuri, had been dead for a total of two minutes. The doctor turned to the parents, his forehead covered in sweat and bags set deep under his eyes, “Your son will be okay.”

Hiroko looked up at her husband with a weary smile. “I knew he would.”

“We will have to take him for examinations, make sure that he is healthy and… You two should get some rest,” The doctor said and slipped out of the room. The unsaid words left a suffocating silence in the small hospital room.

“We will take him home… right?” Hiroko asked, though she did not want to think of the worst possible answer.

Toshiya took his wife’s hand. “We will. We took Mari home, remember?”

Hiroko closed her eyes and sighed. She desperately hoped that he husband was right.

As the night passed and the Katsukis reluctantly drifted off to sleep, the doctor and nurses ran exam after exam. It would seem that the child would be healthy, but they would still be delivering bad news.

“I’ll tell them,” The doctor muttered, the frown  that had been etched on his face deepened at the thought. It never did get easier. “Have security waiting outside of the room, in case they try anything. Nurse Okukawa, call the representative in Vil. I’m sure they can find an available room overnight.”

He looked down at the sleeping boy. It was sometimes hard to believe that someone so small and so innocent would grow to be a villain. It didn’t make sense. It never made any sense.

Instead of lamenting too long over something he could never change, he ran a hand down his face and took a deep breath. The doctor stepped out into the hall and went over the scripted announcement that he had to tell the parents.

When he stepped into the hospital room, the mother startled and put her hand on her husband’s arm to shake him awake. They both turned to him, the father asked only part of what they wanted to know, “Is he okay?”

“Yuuri is doing well,” He said, though the frown did not leave his face. “However, I regret to inform you that our tests-

“No,” Hiroko said. “We _will_ be taking our Yuuri home.”

“I’m afraid you can’t,” The doctor said. “We have already contacted the hospital in Vil. They will find him a home and a family where he can be raised to be who he was born to be. You do not need to worry about the wellbeing of your son-

“What do you mean we don’t have to worry about his wellbeing? You’re sending him to someplace awful, where he’ll end up like the rest of them,” Toshiya said, his voice picking up as he got angrier at the thought of his son in some villain's home. Hiroko wailed at the thought.

The doctor felt bad, he did. He knew that there would be nothing that he could say that would soothe the pain and anger that the two were feeling. “I understand your worry, but I guarantee your son will be provided for and taken care of. This happens to many children and we have made sure that the transition and thereon is smooth.

“Nurse Okukawa will be in soon with the paperwork,” he sighed. “I truly am sorry for your loss.”

The doctor stepped out of the room and did his best to ignore the sounds of the parent’s grief as he walked down the hall.

♠︎

Yuuri Katsuki was born in the Good City of Prima. That was the extent of his association with the bright and dazzling city before he was declared Wicked a mere hour later and was sent away from his birth family to live in a small Vil district.

In every way that made Prima good, Vil was meant to be the opposite. Though, Yuuri would argue that the two cities had many similarities, at least from what he read in his history textbook. In each city, their citizens went to school to learn their roles, got jobs, and if they were lucky enough to have powers, they would receive extra training to master them.

Then there was also the tests. Not every citizen was guaranteed a test, which for the Wicked was a sigh of relief. The Good thought this was an injustice.

In the early stages of Yuuri’s life, he was pretty sheltered from the cruelty of the tests. He didn’t even know much of the rules of the city. He would simply do his chores around the orphanage, go to classes where he would learn basic skills, and hide from kids that would bully him. The tests were just something that you would hear a grown up talk about in passing.

Even when he was adopted and brought to live with a family at the age of ten, his new parents only spoke about the tests in whispers. Yuuri didn’t know if this was to spare him or their six year old son, JJ. He was grateful nonetheless.

He was fourteen when he finally learned about the horrors of the tests. It was Yuuri’s trainer that had pulled him aside and handed him a slip of paper. If he really thought about it, he could remember the exact conversation.

_“What do you know about the test, Mr. Katsuki?”_

_Yuuri tried to think, but nothing came to mind. He didn’t know much._

_His trainer gave him a tight smile. “The tests are a lifetime, no matter how long or short, where you fight against someone from Prima. Sometimes the person who is picked is the main person doing the fighting, the villain. Other times, someone is chosen to be there to help you. In a lot of ways, it is the classic tale of Good versus Evil, though we don’t like to call ourselves evil._

_“In this lifetime, you will have to be the best villain you can be, using the methods we teach you. The goal is to live longer than the person from Prima, so that you can come back.”_

_“Come back?” Yuuri asked._

_He could tell that his trainer was hesitating to tell him something, but decided that it was something Yuuri needed to know. “If you lose first… you can’t come back home, Yuuri.”_

_Yuuri’s eyes widened. “I don’t want to do this.”_

_“I know, but unfortunately once you are chosen, you must fulfil your destiny. Don’t worry, though, we will train you so that you will survive and come back home,” His trainer said. “For now, give that slip of paper to your parents and stay after school on Monday for extra training. Okay?”_

_Yuuri could only nod._

The Leroys had looked at the slip with a frown on their face. His mother sighed and pulled him in for a hug, which he had desperately needed. She said it would be okay, that he had plenty of time before he was called upon. They were glad they knew, at the very least.

When they said that he had plenty of time, they had meant ten years.

He hadn’t quite understood why that was considered ‘plenty of time’ until he saw other kids get earlier test dates. Still, Yuuri worried that, even with his training, ten years might not be enough if he still didn’t have an ability or real skill besides being plain.

His trainer focused on techniques Yuuri could control, he became stronger… he became more sly. And six years into his training, he found out he had an ability.

_“You’re a chameleon,” his brother whispered when he found out. “Holy crap, Yuuri, you can disguise yourself.”_

_“Yeah, but you have telekinesis. That’s a classic,” Yuuri whined. “You can literally move things with your mind, big things. I can blend into a wall. Great.”_

_“That’s extremely useful for a villain. You can get away with anything because no one would be able to see you.”_

Yuuri kept that thought in his mind as he trained. More classes had been added to his schedule, where he had learned to perfect his ability and use it in his day-to-day life. He felt himself grow more and more confident in himself.

Still, it wasn’t long before reality hit him. His mother held JJ close to her, crying and whispering something to him that Yuuri couldn’t hear. His other siblings, though they were young, understood that something bad had just happened.

Their father explained it to them later that night. JJ had gotten his date and his assignment. In a year’s time, he would be a villain.

He didn’t come back. The atmosphere was dim without JJ and Yuuri had lost hope. He could only wish that his younger siblings would be spared from the tests.

As the date approached, Yuuri wrote letters to each of his family members. He knew he had to say goodbye. He knew he wouldn’t be coming back.

♠︎

A knock on the door startled him awake. Yuuri didn’t know how long he had been asleep, only that he had trouble falling asleep the night before.

Before he could respond, his mother entered the room. She didn’t look like she had much sleep, either. “Hey, honey… I brought your uniform.”

She held up the standard issue bodysuit that he had to wear to the testing site. He got up and took it from her. “Thanks.”

It was hard for her, he knew it. She was losing another son, though she never would admit that she felt that way. Yuuri couldn’t blame her. He felt the same way, too.

“Get ready and come down for breakfast,” She smiled, though it fell short and he saw the tears start to form in her eyes. “Your father has made his famous pancakes. Minnie and Max helped.”

For a second, warmth filled his heart before it went away and all he could feel was ice-cold dread. He would never have this again. Still, he forced a smile, “Are we still pretending they actually help?”

“They try their best.” She said, her smile seemed a bit more genuine this time. “We’ll be waiting for you.”

Yuuri didn’t know if she meant for breakfast or for him to come back from his test, but he wasn’t going to ask. He closed the door with a soft click and looked down at the uniform that was still in his hand.

The whole thing was rather plain, a mixture of white and gray patterning that made him feel like he was about to be sanitized. Maybe he would be.

He got dressed quietly and went downstairs. Yuuri could hear his family whispering as he entered the room. Minnie got up and ran to hug him. “Mom says you’ll come back.”

Yuuri wished his parents wouldn’t give the twins hope, that would only break them when he didn’t come back, but he understood why they did. Instead of speaking his thoughts out loud, he nodded, “The test doesn’t last that long.”

As they ate, Yuuri listened to his family talk. They all avoided the subject of the test, maybe so they could pretend they were having a normal breakfast. He wasn’t going to complain. He would much rather hear about the twin’s lives at school than worry about what was going to happen when they all finished breakfast.

Still, the conversation and the food eventually ran out. Yuuri didn’t talk and he didn’t eat more than what was served to him, which was already sitting awkwardly in his stomach.

The twins and his father went to their rooms to change out of their pancake batter stained clothes, so Yuuri took the opportunity to help his mother clear the table.

“When you come back-

“Mom, please,” Yuuri whispered.

“Listen to me, Yuuri,” She grabbed the plate from his hand and set it down in the sink. “When JJ left, we had hope that he would come back. We knew the risks, but we had hope. I know that you think we’re saying goodbye to you, but we aren’t. I know you’ll be back with us soon.”

“We don’t know that,” he said.

“I do know that,” She said with such fierceness that Yuuri didn’t argue with her. “I know it’s going to be hard for you. A lifetime is hard, especially away from the people you love, but you remember that we are here and we are waiting.”

Yuuri nodded, “Okay, mom, I’ll remember that.”

♠

For a day that was so important in Yuuri’s life, the rest of the city seemed normal. He had stared out of the window on the drive to the site and noticed how everyone went about their day. One lady was pushing a baby carriage, while another was talking to a friend. All the while, Yuuri was on his way to his execution.

He didn’t mean to sound bitter about it. It was a part of life, and there was nothing he could do about it.

“Yuuri,” his father said and looked at him through the rearview mirror. “We’re almost there.”

Yuuri knew. He had walked past the building enough times in the past ten years to know exactly how close they were.

His father turned his attention back to the road. “Do you want us to go in with you?”

As much as he knew they’d want to, he couldn’t do that to them. He shook his head, “No.”

“But Yuuri-” Max began but their mother cut him off.

“Max, it’s okay. We can wish him luck outside,” She said.

“Fine,” he frowned.

There wasn’t time for a debate about it, anyway. His father turned into the parking lot and parked in one of the many empty spaces. There was only one other car there, with the exception of the workers cars, and Yuuri knew it belonged to his partner.

He never met Mila Babicheva because the rules prohibited it, but he trained with someone who was supposed to have her skill. If Mila was anything like his sparring partner, he felt just a little more confident, though not by much.

“Yuuri?”

He looked up to see that his family had already gotten out of the car and were waiting for him. “Sorry.”

The moment he got out, his father brought him in for a hug. “I know your mother has already given you enough hugs to last a lifetime-

“ _Alain-_

“Right, sorry, but my point is that I want you to know that we’ll be rooting for you until you come back. And I want you to know that, even though I haven’t shown it as much as the rest of the family, I love you.”

“I love you, too, dad.” Yuuri said.

His father pulled away and Yuuri’s mother took his place. “I’ve said what I needed to before we left the house, but I love you, too. I believe in you and your skill and will see you home for lunch.”

She placed a kiss on his cheek and stepped aside so the twins could say goodbye. They hugged him tight and asked Yuuri to tell them all about it when he got back. He couldn’t hold his tears back anymore.

“Oh, no… darling,” his mother whispered as she pulled him in for yet another hug. “Don’t cry, love. You’ll be back soon and I promise this will all seem like a strange dream.”

“I’m so sorry,” Yuuri cried out. “I don’t want to disappoint you.”

“You will never disappoint us, Yuuri,” his father spoke up. “You never have and you never will. From the moment you walked into our home, you have made us so proud. When you go in there, give it everything you have and whatever happens, we will always be proud.”

His mother nodded and moved to stand near his father. “Your father is right.”

“I have to go,” Yuuri closed his eyes and hoped that when he opened them he’d be at home, in his bed.

“Go on, Yuuri. We’ll be here waiting.”

♠︎

The room they led him to was small, with four chairs and a counter. The only other person in there was a girl who had to be younger than him by at least five years. She turned her blue eyes on him and smiled, “You must be Yuuri.”

He didn’t know how she could be smiling at a time like this, but then again, her death wasn’t the one that was inevitable. “Yeah… You’re Mila?”

“I am,” She smiled. “You should probably sit down. They’re going to come and prep you for the machine. Just a heads up, the liquid they make you drink tastes like mouthwash and orange juice put together. It isn’t pleasant.”

Yuuri grimaced and sat down. “Thanks.”

“They didn’t really tell me anything about you,” she said.

“Yeah, I think it isn’t allowed,” Yuuri sighed.

“You’re here now. You can tell me about yourself.”

Yuuri supposed that she was right. “I’m twenty-four, been training for today since I was fourteen, and I have the ability to blend in with my surroundings. My brother used to call me a chameleon.”

“Used to?” Mila asked.

“He had his test.”

“Oh…” She muttered, then chose to change the subject, which Yuuri was grateful for, “I don’t suppose they’ve told you, but I have an ability, too.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, I can make anyone tell me anything, but I have to ask them a specific question to get a specific answer,” She shrugged. “It’s got its usefulness. I can try it out on you if you’d like?”

Yuuri’s eyes widened slightly, but he was intrigued. “Okay.”

“I’ll try to keep it simple, but why don’t you tell me a secret.”

He didn’t have time to think before the words left his mouth, “I can’t tell my parents, but I know I’m going to die.”

Mila flinched. “Shit, Yuuri, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know that was what you were going to say. I-

“It’s okay. I let you. Besides, you’ll be working with me for who knows how long. You should probably know that.”

“Well, if I can do anything about it, I’ll make sure you pass. Prima has had it good for too long, it’s about time someone from Vil wins.” Mila said bitterly.

Yuuri thought it was strange that she thought about it as winning and losing. He was about to say something when two men walked into the room and placed a tray on the counter next to him. “Yuuri Katsuki?”

Yuuri nodded.

They scanned a card and poured a liquid into a cup. “You’ll need to drink this before we can allow you into the testing room.”

He wasted no time and drank the solution in one gulp. Yuuri’s face screwed up in disgust. Mila had been right, the drink tasted exactly like mouthwash and orange juice. One of the workers raised an eyebrow and took the cup back. He then handed Yuuri a bracelet.

“Put that on tight,” the other worker said. “You will be led to your rooms in ten minutes.”

When they walked out of the room, Mila turned to him. “Mouthwash and orange juice.”

“ _Yes_ , it was awful.”

Mila laughed. “It is. You would think they’d have enough time to somehow make the drink more pleasant.”

“I don’t think they can make this pleasant,” Yuuri muttered.

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” she sighed. “I think I’m just trying to be optimistic. Who knows how long we’ll be staying in there, you know? It’s all overwhelming.”

Yuuri looked over at the girl across from him. His partner. The only other person who would have to deal with all of this with him. They didn’t know each other and yet, he felt like she was the only person he could have a real conversation with about how he felt.

“I used to be optimistic.”

“It went away because of your brother?” Mila asked.

“My family was devastated. We had hope, you know? Even though he only had about a year to train, he was strong and smart. His ability, he could move things with his mind. It was one of those abilities that a lot of people wanted,” Yuuri said and closed his eyes tight. “He went in confident and we waited in a room kind of like this.”

“What happened?”

“A worker came in to tell us that JJ hadn’t passed,” Yuuri opened his eyes. “That’s it. He hadn’t passed and we should have someone drive us back home.”

“That’s it? That’s so impersonal,” Mila frowned.

“It is,” Yuuri agreed. “We went home and my mom stayed in his room for days straight. We had to bring her food and make sure that she showered and stuff like that. My dad tried to keep everything together, but we could tell that he was just as lost as we all were.”

“I can see where it’d be hard to be optimistic.”

Yuuri smiled pathetically. “Yeah.”

“I lost my mom to the tests, but I never really knew her. Not really,” Mila said. “I was born a year before her test was scheduled. I don’t think they planned me, I just happened. She wasn’t at her best when she went in. How could she be when she knew she’d be leaving behind her daughter and husband? It was cruel and she never had a chance.”

“How can you be optimistic after that?”

Mila smiled softly, “Because I know that my mom is rooting for me wherever she is and I won’t let my dad live his life alone.”

Again, the conversation was interrupted by the workers. “It’s time. Mr. Katsuki, you will follow me. Miss. Babicheva, you will follow my colleague.”

Mila looked over at him. “Let’s pass this stupid test.”

The rooms they led them to were small and bare, save for a huge circular machine. Yuuri thought it looked almost like those machines that the doctors use to check your body. They asked him to lay down and told him that they would be giving him an injection to help relax.

The whole process went by rather quickly and the last thing he could remember was a young woman, probably ten years older than him, smiling down at him. She said something that sounded like, “Good luck.”

He closed his eyes and let the medicine take control of his body. Yuuri could feel himself being moved. A minute passed and a beeping had started somewhere in the background.

As he grew more and more tired, the beeping got louder.

The loud, relentless beeping was the last thing he heard as he lost consciousness.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I'm so excited to write this, as I've been planning it for about a year! Any feedback would be appreciated (:


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